admin Troye Sivan has had quite the summer (or winter, if we’re talking in terms of his native Australia). He started the season with a supporting role in the Max show The Idol, gaining praise for his acting chops despite controversy surrounding the program as a whole. Then, of course, came “Rush,” the first single off his upcoming third studio album, Something to Give Each Other, a thumping dance bop with a sexy, voyeuristic music video to match (though one that came with its own criticism as well). One would understand if Sivan felt the need to take some time off and unwind a bit ahead of his album release—but the singer is riding the momentous wave and using this time to introduce a new project.
Today, the 28-year-old is releasing a luxury lifestyle brand with his older brother, Steele Mellet; the first drop features fragrances, candles, and artistic tchotchkes to place around your house. Named Tsu Lange Yor (Yiddish for “to long years”), the collection is a celebration of Sivan’s Australian home, his queerness, and his Jewish identity. Below, the singer celebrates the launch of the brand’s first line of products, reminisces on his bar mitzvah, and reveals some news around another upcoming music video.
When you were thinking about a new endeavor, what drew you to fragrance and homeware?
It started when I first came to L.A. about ten years ago and lived with my manager, Brandon (Creed). His house is so considered. It was my first exposure to a home as an expression of who you are, something you share with your friends and loved ones. I became obsessed with using art, music, and scent to create a space that feels like you. I started to fall in love with interiors and architecture.
When I moved back to Australia during Covid and renovated my house here, I created my dream space. That was what gave me the confidence to share it with other people. When Architectural Digest came, I did one of those “Open Door” videos; I saw the response and realized this wasn’t some niche interest of mine.
In the press release, you say these products “are a reverence of art, queerness, youth, sex and soul.” What do you mean by that?
Those are common threads I try and weave into everything I make. I took something like a dreidel, which speaks to my Jewish identity and where my family comes from, and had the opportunity to collaborate with an Australian artist on it to make it chic in a way that feels very queer to me.
There seems to be a heavy Australian imprint on the brand as well, right?
All of the products are Australian-made. In our signature scent, TLY 5755, we are, I believe, the first people to ever use this one particular ingredient called Tasmanian mountain pepper. There’s also a lot of Australian sandalwood in all of the products. Almost all of our collaborators at this point have been Australian, even down to the campaign imagery.
What does Tasmanian mountain pepper smell like?
It’s really warm and it definitely has a peppery bite to it. We mellow it out with some vanilla and there’s shiso to brighten it up. It’s probably the scent I’m most excited about.
A lot of celebrities launch fragrance brands. What sets this one apart?
This is something I would be doing even if I wasn’t singing or acting. Obviously, it’s nice to have a platform and an audience of people who are excited to hear about it, but starting an Australian lifestyle brand speaks to me as a person before it speaks to me as a performer.
I kind of almost want it to be separate from the music and the acting. We started this completely independently. Hopefully people can feel that there’s no big corporation behind this whole thing. It’s run out of my house in Melbourne.
Why was it important for you to incorporate your Jewish heritage into this project?
I’m not particularly religious; I kind of tapped out after my bar mitzvah. But culturally, it’s a huge part of who I am. A lot of the culturally Jewish stuff I do reminds me of my family; my great-grandmother spoke Yiddish in the house when I was young. And I’ve always said, I don’t care if we don’t say the prayer necessarily, but doing Shabbat dinner is important to me. I did it every single Friday night growing up.
That’s the kind of stuff that makes up my fondest childhood memories. And considering I’m not very religious and I’m queer, my Jewish identity was something I grappled with and was unsure about. I liked the idea of reclaiming it and proudly saying, even to other Jewish people, “I’m queer and I’m also a Jew—and these are things that are both equally important in the makeup of who I am.”
What are some of your favorite Yiddish words?
Oh my God, there are so many: classic ones like schlep, schmuck, nebbish. Davka is a really good one.
Oh, I don’t know that one.
That’s the weird thing about some Yiddish words—I’ll Google them and the meaning has changed over time. Davka means out of spite—but I don’t know if that’s necessarily the official definition. There are many Yiddish words where, I don’t know how to say them in English, but they’re perfect for summing up exactly how you feel.
Did you have a bar mitzvah theme?
My parents went all out for my older brother’s, it was rock and roll-themed; there were records hanging from the roof and everything. By the time it got to my bar mitzvah, they wanted to keep it a little bit more chill—so we had it in the garage at my house. I claim it as the first house party for my year group because it was actually lit. We hung up a disco ball and opened the garage door—we were all spilling onto the street, having a raucous party for a bunch of 12- and 13-year-olds.
This current collection features the dreidel you mentioned—do you have plans to create other forms of Judaica?
It was important to have an object off the bat that felt a little bit eccentric and indulgent and also spoke to the brand’s Jewish identity and my Jewish identity. But I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to be an ongoing theme. I mean, if Jewish people all around the world are like, “Troye, make a mezuzah case,” maybe I will.
You received lots of praise for your role in The Idol. Will there be more acting in your future?
I actually don’t really know. I would love to, but acting is something I am still so intimidated by. So, if the right thing comes around that feels challenging and intimidating and exciting in all the right ways, with the opportunity to work with some incredible people, then 100 percent yes. And also, once the strike is over and everyone’s getting paid fairly.
“Rush” was such a hit. What can people expect from the rest of the new album? Is it going to be more of these upbeat songs, or are you moving in a different direction?
It’s definitely both. I just made the sickest music video in Bangkok. It was such a fun time, and I’m really excited for people to see that—and then to hear the album on October 13th.
